Inquisitor Thresh's page

1. What level of access do you grant in your game?

Magic shop access is completely prohibited in my games. Purely for the sake of realism. Luckily i game with a fantastic group of the same mind set. My worlds usually follow a keep it simple motif and generally are low magic worlds. Ill allow item creation if they have the cash and or materials. But chances are high theres no wizards around with a high enough skill or if there are there might not be a skilled enough blacksmith... or so on. If its something they NEED then maybe the moons will aligned and a visiting wizard MAY help but it takes roleplaying to convince him and hes a real cantankerous old geazer...if you get my meaning.

2. How does it affect your game?

It keeps things rolling, if no one is expecting a magic item from every bird, halfling, orc, or tree frog they murder then its less of a hassle to keep them in the mind set. I like to keep my games very very gritty, chances are very high youll loose a hand before you find even a potion or dagger +1. I run a game for a group of 7 and theres exactly 4 magic items in the whole group. 2 of which are actually useful in combat situations.. 1) a dagger 2) being a shield.

Granted this is a game but its a game supposed to be about a fantasy world based upon a medievil mindset. So i keep the medievil mindset when i think of magic items.. Was not Excalibur the only magic sword in what...the entire kingdom of Camelot? Not to mention that thing couldnt of been more then a +1 or +2...

So i keep it simple and it keeps the complaints simple..

3. What are the pros and cons of working the way you do?

Pros: Micro managing is easier of what i can and cannot throw at the group. No one complaining that so and so just got a new +5 sword of evil doer butt kicking when they missed their roll for finding it at the magic shop. But really it helps keep the pace and spirit of the types of campaigns and adventures i run. They are far far more excited to find a magic item in a heap of rags stuffed in the corner of an old tomb of a long forgotten kindgom...inhabited by stunty grobi. It gives the path a more realistic outcome. I mean ive even ran some adventure paths where the only thing they got materialistic at the end of the run was a little bit of coinage and some renown with the kingdom giving them a 10% break on things they might buy in the city.

Cons: Scale of CR levels. It was a flawed system in my opinion. I just alter things a little to make it so the players have a "fighting" chance. No dice altering or anything like that just taking away effect that disallow damage or special needs to damage such as Need magic to hurt or what have you.

Oh and the whiny elf always whining about how she wants bondleaf armour...

tribeof1 wrote:

I've never had an issue in my games with nova psions

I have. But he was a complete abusive munchkin. No matter the game, he always exploited every last loop hole to make his character better then everyone elses. In D&D, he always played a psion. I don't play with him anymore.

That in case and point has nothing to do with the Psion class being overpowered but more of a Character Flaw in the people you played with. They are the reason that most Psionics are met with hesitence and some out right hate. No one really likes a min/maxer as it takes away from the flavour of your particular game.

What does Psionics mean to you?

I think a question like that really takes away from what Psionics actually ARE and leaves it open to interpretations and biased view points. The focusing point of the word is “Psi” which basically is a general term for both extrasensory perception and psychokeneticism. In essence the ability to manipulate, or perceive your surroundings, in a paranormal way. Which in a way is exactly what magic does and how it reacts.

That brings up the issue of why magic is different from Psionics. Well it can be simple or it can be complicated depending on your view or how you feel game semantics should go. In my personal view point I think that magic and psionics are completely unrelated regardless if they may have some of the same traits. For one with psionics you’re exerting your direct force of willpower upon the reality at hand. Were with Arcane magic you’re essentially using an outside force of manipulation to create paranormal effects.

Understandably that doesn’t answer the question but it does set the stage for an opinion of how it could. Firstly lets take the 4 (in my opinion of magic types), you have Arcane, Divine, Nature, and lastly Mind. Let’s look at Nature magic…now no one ever really disputes this one because it’s considered some god of nature is conveying its power to said Druid/Ranger type. But not so, the Druid of old didn’t even need a god to receive his power. In mother natures infinite wisdom would grant her sons and daughters mysterious powers to move tree’s and call in lighting bolts like an artillery man. Yet we never disputed the Druids original sense of power even though it made even less sense then someone who’s own innate abilities of the mind allow him to manifest them.

Still though, like I said it’s the exerting of ones willpower and strength of mind upon your surroundings. With the classical sense of what “psi” means I’d imagine that psionics should be limited to perception and manipulation of the physical reality. That means no metacreativity and summoning ectoplasmic oogie boogies from thin air. On a side note ectoplasmic energy is supposedly what “ghosts” are made of according to many “ghost busters.”

I maintain the fact that i think that psionics, arcane/divine casters are differnt cause they are using the way they access their powers completely differently ... id say more but its lunch time and im getting scatter brained...